Ruth Orkin: Bike Trip, USA, 1939

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Ruth Orkin (1921-1985) was only 17 when she got on her bicycle and began a “bike trip” across the United States in 1939, from Los Angeles to New York. Her crossing and her audacity, quite unusual for the time, aroused the curiosity of people and the local press, which devoted numerous reports to her.

On her return, she wrote a manuscript on her adventure which remained published for some time. Her experience was a decisive influence in her life and career. Twelve years later, Ruth became a professional photographer, and produced her most famous image American Girl in Italy (1951) which again returns to the experience of a woman who travels alone. Consisting of photographs, scrapbook pages, excerpts from her diary of the trip, maps and various documents, this book - which accompanies an exhibition at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson - returns to this extraordinary adventure of one of the greatest women photographers of the 20th century.